FINNEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities and officials with USD 457 are investigating an alleged school threat and have made an arrest.
Just after 1:30p.m. Monday, police were called to Kenneth Henderson Middle School, 2406 Flemming in Garden City, for report of a student making a threat to school students and staff, according to Sgt. Lana Urteaga.
During the investigation, police learned several students at the school had come forward to school administration stating they heard another student comment about, “shooting up the school.”
A 7th grade student admitted to making the comments. USD 457 suspended the student and police will file a report with the Finney County Attorney requesting charges of criminal threat, according to Urteaga.
Hays Pizza Hut will be sponsoring the local Salvation Army in a Dine Out Day. Ten percent of all purchases from 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Oct. 29 will be donated to the Salvation Army office and its Paper Pantry in Hays.
Individuals must bring in flyer, (physical or electronic), or Salvation Army slip for donations to be accepted.
This event is organized by the Fort Hays State University Tigers Community Leadership team.
WICHITA— After a stop in Kansas City earlier this month, Ivanka Trump is scheduled for a trip to Wichita this week.
Ivanka Trump on a trip to Kansas City October 11, courtesy White House
President Trump’s daughter and senior advisor will accompany Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for a roundtable on workforce development, according to a media release from the White House.
The trip will include a tour of WSU Tech and Textron Aviation where a group of Wichita-based aviation companies will sign the Pledge to America’s Workers.
The pledge is an initiative that boasts pledges from over 360 companies who have so far committed to over 14 million new or enhanced career and job training opportunities for American workers, according to the release.
Leo Joseph Boor, 85, passed away October 21, 2019, at University Of Kansas Health System – Great Bend Campus. He was born on May 30, 1934, in Hodgeman county, to W.H. and Ann (Hipp) Boor. He married Joyce Salmans on May 13, 1954, at Hanston. She survives.
Coming from Hanston in 1963, Leo was the general manager for Alfalfa Pellets, Inc. in Great Bend. He was a member of Prince of Peace Parish at St. Patrick Catholic Church, the Knights of Columbus and the American Legion. He served in the United States Army during the Korean war. He was a jack of all trades and spending time with his family and grandchildren.
Survivors include, his wife, Joyce Boor of the home; two sons, Thom Boor and wife Linda of Great Bend, and Tony Boor and wife Alice of Larned; one daughter, Tina Koziol and husband Kevin of Scottsdale, AZ; 18 grandchildren; and 33 great grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; one son, Rohn Lee Boor; one brother, Bill Boor; three sisters, Louise Bigej, Jane Henderson and Mildred Ann Boor; and one great grandson, Kash Boor.
Visitation will be held from 1:00 to 9:00 p.m., Friday, October 25, 2019 at Bryant Funeral Home, with Vigil Service at 7:00 p.m. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, October 26, 2019, St. Patrick Catholic Church in Great Bend, with Father Don Bedore presiding. Interment will be in St. Anthony Cemetery in Hanston at 2:00 p.m., with Military Rites conducted by the Fort Riley Honor Guard. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be designated to the Holy Family School, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.
Kansas Common crude at CHS in McPherson starts the week at $44 per barrel after dropping 25 cents a barrel on Friday.
Baker Hughes reported 851 active drilling rigs across the U.S., a decline of six natural gas rigs. Pennsylvania was down four rigs. The count in Oklahoma was down two, while Texas was up three. Canada reported 143 active rigs, down three.
The rig count across western Kansas was down one to 24 last week, while the count east of Wichita was unchanged at seven. Independent Oil & Gas Service reports drilling underway on two leases in Stafford County and operators either moving in or preparing to spud new wells in Barton, Ellis, Russell and Stafford counties.
Regulators approved 41 permits for drilling at new locations across Kansas last week, 848 so far this year. There are 19 new permits east of Wichita and 22 in Western Kansas, including three in Barton County and one in Ellis County.
Independent Oil & Gas reports Kansas operators completed 28 wells last week, seven of them in eastern Kansas and 21 west of Wichita, including four in Barton County, two in Ellis County and one in Stafford County. So far this year, operators in the Sunflower State have completed 1,107 new wells.
U.S. producers set another weekly record for crude oil production. According to the Energy Information Administration, operators pumped 12.585 million barrels per day. That beats the previous record from the week before by 12,000 barrels per day.
EIA said U.S. crude inventories are now about two percent above the five year average after increasing more than nine million barrels last week.
The government predicts continuing production increases next month from the seven major shale formations in the U.S. Big gains in the Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico were offset somewhat by declines in the Eagle Ford and Anadarko basins. The Energy Information Administration says shale production will increase by some 58,000 barrels per day in November to a record 8.971 million barrels per day. Total conventional and unconventional U.S. production is currently over 12 million barrels per day.
The Association of American Railroads reports total freight train traffic was down seven percent during the week ended October 12, but petroleum and petroleum products showed a 7.7% increase over the same week last year.
The newest airport in the U.S. opened to passenger service last week. Williston Basin International Airport, northwest Williston, North Dakota, kicked off service October 10 when United Airlines Flight 4643 touched down. It is the first new commercial airport in the United States since Denver International opened 24 years ago.
The boom in the Permian Basin continues to fuel a surge in New Mexico construction jobs. The state added 4,300 construction jobs in a year, nearly all of them supporting the oil and gas industry.
Crude oil production in North Dakota, the #2 producer in the country, reached an all-time high in August. According to the Department of Mineral Resources, North Dakota producers pumped nearly 1.48 million [[“one point four eight million”]] barrels per day in August. Producers also set a record for the amount of natural gas captured at the well head, although at 81%, the total is still well short of earlier goals set by regulators. August production totaled nearly 45.8 million [[“forty-five point eight million”]] barrels.
Officials in North Dakota are celebrating the discovery of two new deposits of fracking sand in their state. The Bismarck Tribune says permits are in process and some excavation is already underway. One analyst pegs the possible savings at up to $300,000 per well.
The Canadian province of Alberta has gone corporate with its fight against bad press in the oil patch. Energy Minister Sonya Savage told the legislature their “war room” is now incorporated and will be formally titled the Canadian Energy Centre. Savage says they will focus on improving the reputation of Alberta’s oil and gas sector and challenging those it believes are delivering misinformation. The province has also launched a $2.5-million public inquiry into foreign funding of anti-oil advocacy groups.
UPDATED 10 a.m. Tuesday: With the assistance of the Osborne County Sheriff’s Office, the Osborne Police Department has located the property from which items were allegedly stolen.
OSBORNE — A traffic stop escalated into a short chase in Osborne at approximately 7:40 p.m. Sunday.
The Osborne Police Department reported two suspects were taken into custody on felony charges. Inside the vehicle are several items resulting from a burglary that occurred at a barn located somewhere between Alton and Osborne south of Kansas 24, Chief Danny Pfannenstiel said in a social media report.
Pfannenstiel said the suspects could not recall exactly where the barn is located at exactly, oly that it was a stand lone structure with cattle nearby.
“We are asking farmers to check their properties and report any missing items to the Osborne Co. Sheriffs Office at (785) 346-2001,” Pfannenstiel said.
The items from inside the vehicle include a wooden box filled with tools and old license plates, gallon glass jugs, short wooden ladder, wood handled axe, an NSA bactiostatic water treatment unit, and deer antlers, among other items.
The Graham County Sheriff’s Office on Saturday reported the arrested of three adult males in an ongoing investigation into narcotics distribution that has been underway for 18 months.
The sheriff’s office reported the investigation led to the arrests, as well as the execution of a search warrant at 614 N. Third Ave. in Hill City.
This case is still being actively investigated and will be referred to the Graham County Attorney upon completion, the sheriff’s office said in a social media post.
Pending charges at this point are:
• Possession of Methamphetamine with the intent to Distribute
• Distribution of Methamphetamine
• Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine
• Possession of Marijuana
• Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
• Child Endangerment
“Names of those arrested are not being provided at this time as the investigation is ongoing,” the department reported.
Viola Heronemus, age 96, of WaKeeney, died Saturday, October 19, 2019, at Trego County Lemke Memorial Hospital Long Term Care.
Funeral service will be 3:00 p.m., Thursday, October 24, 2019, at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, WaKeeney. Burial will take place in the WaKeeney City Cemetery.
Visitation will be Wednesday evening, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the funeral home in WaKeeney.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to Bethlehem Lutheran Church. Donations to the church may be sent to Schmitt Funeral Home, 336 N 12th, WaKeeney, KS 67672.
SEDGWICK COUNTY— Authorities are investigating the death of an inmate at the Sedgwick County Jail
Just after 11a.m. Sunday, an inmate became unresponsive, according to Keith Allen, Support Division Captain at the jail.
After immediate medical attention from onsite staff and responding EMS personnel, the 65 year old man was transported by EMS to a local hospital and was pronounced dead at 12:23 p.m.
The preliminary cause of death is unknown, however preliminary indications point to a medical condition. An autopsy is scheduled, according to Allen.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Investigation Division were notified. The inmate’s identity is being withheld at the request of his family. He was booked into the Sedgwick County Detention Facility on a misdemeanor five day commitment through the City of Wichita on October 17, 2019.
U.S. Border Patrol and BORSTAR agents processing individuals in March 2019 at El Paso, TX – image courtesy Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Border Patrol
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is planning to collect DNA samples from asylum-seekers and other migrants detained by immigration officials and will add the information to a massive FBI database used by law enforcement hunting for criminals, a Justice Department official said.
The Justice Department on Monday issued amended regulations that would mandate DNA collection for almost all migrants who cross between official entry points and are held even temporarily.
The official said the rules would not apply to legal permanent residents or anyone entering the U.S. legally, and children under 14 are exempt, but it’s unclear whether asylum-seekers who come through official crossings will be exempt.
The official spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity before the regulations were published.
Homeland Security officials gave a broad outline of the plan to expand DNA collection at the border two weeks ago, but it was unclear then whether asylum-seekers would be included or when it would begin.
The new policy would allow the government to amass a trove of biometric data on hundreds of thousands of migrants, raising major privacy concerns and questions about whether such data should be compelled even when a person is not suspected of a crime other than crossing the border illegally. Civil rights groups already have expressed concerns that data could be misused, and the new policy is likely to lead to legal action.
Justice officials hope to have a pilot program in place shortly after the 20-day comment period ends and expand from there, the official said. The new regulations are effective Tuesday.
Trump administration officials say they hope to solve more crimes committed by immigrants through the increased collection of DNA from a group that can often slip through the cracks. The Justice official also said it would be a deterrent — the latest step aimed at discouraging migrants from trying to enter the United States between official crossings by adding hurdles to the immigration process.
Currently, officials collect DNA on a much more limited basis — when a migrant is prosecuted in federal court for a criminal offense. That includes illegal crossing, a charge that has affected mostly single adults. Those accompanied by children generally aren’t prosecuted because children can’t be detained.
President Donald Trump and others in his administration often single out crimes committed by immigrants as a reason for stricter border control. But multiple studies have found that people in the United States illegally are less likely to commit crime than U.S. citizens, and legal immigrants are even less likely to do so.
For example, a study last year in the journal Criminology found that from 1990 through 2014, states with bigger shares of migrants have lower crime rates.
Immigrant rights advocates were immediately critical following initial disclosure of the DNA collection plan two weeks ago.
“That could really change the purpose of DNA collection from one of criminal investigation to population surveillance,” American Civil Liberties Union attorney Vera Eidleman said then.
Curbing immigration is Trump’s signature issue, but his administration has struggled in dealing with the surge of people trying to enter the United States, mostly Central American families fleeing poverty and violence.
Authorities made more than 810,000 arrests at the border during the budget year that just ended in September, a high not seen for more than 10 years. Officials say numbers have since fallen following crackdowns, changes in asylum regulations and agreements with Central American countries, but they remain higher than in previous years.
DNA profile collection is allowed under a law expanded in 2009 to require that any adult arrested for a federal crime provide a DNA sample. At least 23 states require DNA testing, but some occur after a suspect is convicted of a crime.
The FBI database, known as the Combined DNA Index System, has nearly 14 million convicted offender profiles, plus 3.6 million arrestee profiles, and 966,782 forensic profiles as of August 2019. The profiles in the database do not contain names or other personal identifiers to protect privacy; only an agency identifier, specimen identification number and DNA lab associated with the analysis. That way, when people aren’t a match, their identification isn’t exposed.
The only way to get a profile out of the system is to request through an attorney that it be removed.
Federal and state investigators use the system to match DNA in crimes they are trying to solve. As of August 2019, the database produced about 480,000 hits, or matches with law enforcement seeking crime scene data, and assisted in more than 469,000 investigations.
Justice Department officials are striking a line in the regulations that gave the secretary of Homeland Security discretion to opt out of collecting DNA from immigrants because of resource limitations or operational hurdles.
Justice and Homeland Security officials are still working out details, but cheek swab kits would be provided by the FBI, the official said. The FBI will help train border officials on how to get a sample, which shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.
Customs and Border Protection already collects fingerprints on everyone over 14 in its custody.
The new regulations will apply to adults who cross the border illegally and are briefly detained by Customs and Border Protection, or for a longer period by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Those who come to official crossings and are considered inadmissible and not further detained will be exempt. Other exceptions are being worked out, the official said.
More than 51,000 detainees are in ICE custody. Border Patrol custody fluctuates its facilities only hold migrants until they are processed and either released or sent to ICE custody. At the height, more than 19,000 people were held. Recently it was down to fewer than 4,000.
The Justice Department charged the highest number of immigration-related offenses last year since the office began keeping the records: 25,426 with felony illegal re-entry and 80,866 with misdemeanor improper entry into the country.
Florence Martha Marie Elliott was born on June 2, 1921, to Henry and Rena (Steinmann) Hofts, and she passed away on October 17, 2019, at her daughter’s home in Hays, Kansas, at the age of 98 years, 4 months and 15 days.
Florence grew up on her parents farm, and enjoyed spending time doing chores and working around the farm. She attended Morehead Country School, then Republic High School, graduating in 1940. Following high school, Florence attended Kansas Normal Teachers training, and taught school near Republic.
Florence married Howard Clinton Elliott in Salina, Kansas, on October 25, 1941, and to this union, five children were born; James Clinton, John Glenn, Steven, Howard James, and Jody.
Florence and Howard raised their children on the farm, and Florence was an excellent homemaker. She was always making improvements to the family home, either wall papering, or painting, or new carpeting. Florence also enjoyed cooking large meals for her family and hired farm help. Sewing was also a hobby that Florence was known for, and she enjoyed sewing clothes for her family.
Outside of the farm, Florence worked for the Depot Market for over 20 years, and she participated in Missionary Work in New Mexico. She was also a member of the HDU, Methodist Church ladies, and was involved in 4-H. Florence also enjoyed birds and bird watching, and spending time with her family and attending family events.
She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Howard, twin infant sons James Clinton and John Glenn; brother Glenn Hofts, sisters Lena Banks, Minnie Sankey and Josephine Simms, and great-granddaughter Emma Drew Shearer.
Left to cherish her memories are sons, Steve Elliott and his wife Geri of Gibbon, Nebraska, and Jim Elliott of Republic, and her daughter Jody Hoffman and her husband Bill of Hays, Kansas. Florence is also survived by her grandchildren: Brenda Smith and her husband Kent, Scott Elliott, Chad Shearer, Laura Gatza and her husband Brent, Lanae Davis and her husband Jason, Andrew Shearer and his wife Amiee, Chase Elliott and his wife Natalie, Jana Hoffman, Jenny Orr and her husband Roy, Shannon Funk and her husband Heath, Natausha Dreher and her husband Ryan, and Conrad Hoffman.She is also survived by 18 great grandchildren, and 4 great-great grandchildren.
Visitation will be on Tuesday, October 22, 2019, from 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Tibbetts-Fischer Funeral Home in Belleville, with family greeting friends from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm.
Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, October 23, 2019, at 11:00 am, at the United Methodist Church in Republic, Kansas, with Pastor Lance Rundus officiating. Burial will follow at Lake Cemetery, rural Republic.
Memorials are requested to the Republic United Methodist Church, and may be sent in care of the funeral home. Tibbetts-Fischer Funeral Home of Belleville assisted the Elliott family with these arrangements.
Gerald Lee Steckline Sr., 81, Tonganoxie, KS, passed away Tuesday, October 15, 2019, at his home.
Funeral mass will be 10 a.m. Tuesday, October 22, 2019, at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, Hays Kansas. The family will receive friends for 1 hour prior to the funeral mass. Burial will follow in St. Joseph’s Cemetery, Hays.
Gerald was born December 19, 1937 in Ellis, KS, the son of Joe and Helen (Walters) Steckline. He served in the U.S. Air Force as a supply specialist. He was a manager for Dillons Grocery Stores working for them for 25 years. He also worked as a Realtor. In his retirement, he enjoyed working for Meals on Wheels in Dodge City, KS. He was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Tonganoxie, KS, as well as the Knights of Columbus at Sacred Heart.
Survivors include; his wife, June (Davis) Steckline, of the home; four sons, Gerald (Jerry) Steckline Jr., Overland Park, KS, Kevin Steckline, Wichita, KS, Shawn Steckline, Goodyear, AZ, Michael Steckline, Olathe, KS; two step-sons, Edward Lamb, Des Moines, IA, Paul Lamb, Tonganoxie, KS; one brother, Terry Steckline, Flower Mound, TX; four sisters, Arlene Rome, Hays, Carol Einsel, Hays, Sharon Sterling, Salina, KS, Kathy Ostrom, Hays; 7 grandchildren; and 4 great-grandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial donations to St. Jude Children’s Hospital.
Alyssa Dechant with Styles Dance Centre in Hays, was recognized by InterHab with the Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award for 2019. The award was presented at InterHab’s annual Power Up Conference in Wichita on Oct. 19.
Dechant was recognized for her work in creating the Dancing Together for DSNWK event held each April at Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center.
Dancing Together for DSNWK is a unique opportunity for young dancers from the community to participate in a special dance recital with individuals served by Developmental Services of Northwest Kansas. DSNWK, Styles Dance Centre and FHSU Leadership 310 students joined together to put on the special event not only to raise money, but build awareness and community support.
Dancing Together for DSNWK has proven to not only be an amazing display of inclusion in the community, but also has provided education and awareness to the young dancers and the communities throughout the northwest Kansas area.
In addition to Dechant’s award, the artwork of Cecilia Higgins, person served by DSNWK in Hays, was selected by InterHab and was presented to one of the award winners at the conference.
InterHab is the oldest and largest association of developmental disability service providers in Kansas. They are the premier entity in the Midwest for advocacy on behalf of intellectual and developmental disability issues.
